


I Wanna Die Before I'm Old

by joshlerhell



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: AU, M/M, Roadtrip, Shipping, but enjoy, childhood!au, idk what else to tag this, joshler - Freeform, joshler!au, otp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-07-14 08:44:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7163138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshlerhell/pseuds/joshlerhell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh and Tyler have been friends since they were 7.  They've been planning this since they were 12.  Neither of them want to grow up.  A family is too much pressure, a career is too much stress, a spouse is too much frustration; it's all pointless to them.  So they decided they want to end their lives at 21.  The age you officially become an adult.  But they want to make it special.  So Tyler and Josh go on a three week road-trip to the end of their short lives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When it all th'tarted

It was June 3rd, 1995 when it all began.

Joshua Dun moved in next door to Tyler Joseph. 

When they first met, they barely spoke to each other. Tyler was hiding behind his mom's legs, and Josh was just standing awkwardly, holding his mom's hand and waiting to go back inside. The two moms chatted away, standing in the gap in the bush wall that separated the two houses. They hadn't interacted with each other for 3 months after that, until 1st grade started. 

Josh was sitting alone on the bus, staring longingly out the window, wishing he was back in his old home when he heard a loud boy's voice.

"Can I th'it next to you?"

He immediately caught the obvious lisp. He turned to face a boy that couldn't have have been much older than him, tan skin and short brown hair. 

"Yeah sure."

Josh flashed him a bright smile, and Tyler returned it with a crooked, gap toothed one, settling down next to Josh.

"What'th your name?"

"Josh."

"I like it."

Their friendship only grew from there. Josh learned a lot about Tyler, his voice was quite loud and it seemed he was ignorant to it, he got into trouble often and seemed to drag Josh along with him. Josh was very calm and easy-going, following Tyler in whatever craziness he got himself into, often having to get him out of it. Like once in 5th grade;

"There you are, geez Josh what took you th'o long?"

Tyler had asked Josh to meet him in the alley behind the local bakery, without any clarification of what for.

"Mom made me clean my room."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I got th'urprise."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, look."

Tyler walked closer to Josh, holding something something behind his back, when he pulled it out, Josh nearly had a heart attack.

"Oh my gosh."

"Pretty cool, huh?"

A pistol.

Tyler held it up next to him like James Bond and wore a cocky smirk.

"What the- Tyler where'd you get that?!"

"It'th my dad'th, found it in the attic."

He spun in around on his finger, like it was something to be proud of.

"Stop wavin' it around like that! You're gonna get in trouble if anyone sees you with that thing!"

"Calm down, geez, you sound like my mom, it'th not like it'th loaded, watch!"

Tyler pointed the gun at the tin garbage can against the brick wall-

BOOM

Both boys shrieked and jumped, Tyler dropped the gun.

"RUN!"

Tyler quickly snatched the gun from the ground and they bolted, Shoving and laughing along the way, bodies spiked with adrenaline. A lady working at the bakery had come out, yelling about the commotion, but Josh and Tyler were already too far to hear her.

8:00pm that same night was when it was first discussed;

After grabbing sleeping bags, food, and other supplies; and Josh scolding Tyler to put the gun back where he found it, they climbed up to their private tree house in the woods and set up for the night. Tyler grabbed a match and lit a candle.

"How did you manage to get matches? You could set the tree house on fire!"

"Found em' in my dad'th clo'thet, believe me I know what I'm doing!"

"Oh you know what you're doing? Doesn't seem like it Mr. 'It's not even loaded!'."

"I didn't think it actually was! That was an accident, THIS time, I know what I'm doing."

"Mhm."

Tyler set the candle on the small table near the corner of the room and crawled back to his sleeping bag next to Josh. They laid down and listened to the crickets chirp and owls hoo, if they were younger this would've scared the living daylights out of them, but now the noises seem calming to them. But somehow, neither of them could sleep, their minds were running a mile a minute, but they stayed silent and still for a good hour until one of them spoke.

"Hey Ty?"

His voice was barely a whisper, but he didn't look at Tyler, they both continued to stare at the wooden roof above them with hooded eyes, barely able to stay awake any longer.

"Yeah?"

There was a short silence, and seemed as if they were the only too people in the universe.

"I don't wanna grow up."

Another pause.

"Me neither."

"All I ever hear is how hard and stressful it is, the only adults that are happy are the famous ones, and thats like a one in a million possibility to get famous!"

"Exactly. I wish I could just die before I'm old."

Josh was slightly taken aback by Tyler's straight forward statement, yet still found himself saying; 

"Me too."

But it wasn't until middle school that the plan was introduced;

 

"Hey Ty?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think we'll be when we get older?"

Josh asked, laying on Tyler's bed and staring at the ceiling. Tyler answered from the beanbag he was sitting on on the floor.

"Um... about that... can I tell you th'omething Josh?"

Still trying to overcome that lisp, he gets bullied because of it.

"Of course."

"I have an idea,"

"Lay it on me."

"Th'o neither of uth' wanna grow up, right? I came up with the perfect plan th'o we don't have to!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, c'mere."

Josh crawled over to where Tyler was sitting, they stared straight into each other's eyes.

"We kill ourth'elves."

"Wh- T-Tyler I don't wanna-"

"No wait juth't hear me out, you don't kidth' right?"

"Uh, I mean, no but-"

"You don't want to th'lave over a boring job to get like 5 buckth' a day juth't to feed yourth'elf, right?"

"N-no but-"

"Then we'll get th'ome gunth' and end it before it happenth'"

"You can't just buy guns, can you?"

"Yeah! My dad'th got th'ome in the attic, remember? You th'aid it yourth'elf, life ith' pointleth'."

Josh thought it over, he would have nothing to live for after he grew up, he'd just have 20x the responsibility he has now. But there was just something so un nerving about it all, there were somethings he wanted to do before he died, like go to Disney world or something. He wondered what it was like to die, you're supposed to go to heaven, right? That's all he was ever taught, would killing himself send him to hell? Does it hurt to shoot yourself or do you just die instantly? He was so unsure about it all, but Tyler seemed to already have his mind set on this plan, and he knew if he had Tyler, everything would be fine.

"But what about all the places we wanna go, you said you wanted to go to Florida-"

"Then we'll go to Florida. I figured before we die, we should make it th'pecial, we'll travel around the world with all the money we've got left. Th'ee all the places you wanna th'ee. We're gonna die anyway. You th'aid it your'thelf, adulthood is hard and th'tressfull!"

"Are you sure you really wanna die so young-"

"Only if you'll do it with me."

Josh took a deep breath and went over all the possibilities one more time.

"...Ok."


	2. Two Birds

19.

Two more years, almost there.

Josh and Tyler had bought a cheap apartment together, really cheap. They lived in a terrible part of town, shared an ugly; beat up car, and barely ate, when they did, that was also on the cheap. Josh noticed Tyler looked skinny; skinnier than usual, and pale. Tyler was usually very tan, and Josh was just naturally pale, Tyler would joke and say he looked like a ghost. But now, Tyler looked even paler than he did; and tired, dark circles around his eyes from staying up late and waking up early. They could afford better things, a better apartment in a better part of town, better car, better food; but they tried their hardest to save up for this trip. Ever since they were 12, lemonade stands, garage sales, even just finding cents on the ground; was all collected in a giant jar deemed the 'vacation' jar. Their parents supported the idea of them going on a three week vacation around the world, little did they know it'd be the only vacation they'd ever go on. The jar had been filled to the brim by the time they were 15 with at least $1000, enough for 2 plane tickets. So they got another jar; filled that one by 17. By then, they both had jobs; sure they were at McDonald's and Taco Bell, but it was something. By 19, Josh had a job at a record shop, and Tyler ended up in a Starbucks. He'd spit in someone's drink if they didn't leave a tip. They both had necklaces, a bird on each one, even those were cheap; made of string and metal, but it was still an important representation of their friendship. Every night, Josh would rub the bird on his necklace and pray that they'd make enough money by 21 to go on this trip. Only problem is, they'd both have to be ALIVE to actually go on it. And Tyler looked like he was about to croak.

"Tyler, I think you need to start eating more, and sleeping."

Tyler turned off his phone and looked over his shoulder from the couch to face Josh, who was making mac and cheese in the kitchen. 

"What are you talking about, I'm fine."

Josh walked over set his bowl of mac and cheese on the small table in front of the couch, sitting down next to Tyler.

"What time did you go to bed last night?"

"10:00, just like usual."

"You know what I mean, what time did you fall asleep?"

"...2:00?"

"Jesus Christ, Tyler, why?!"

"It's too hot in there!"

"Is it? Or is it the, what, 4 red bulls you have when you come home from work?"

"Look, I don't know why it matters, I feel fine, I look fine, what's the problem?"

"You don't look fine! You look sickly, you haven't been eating!"

"I'ts a waste of money to buy that much food for me, I'm not that hungry-"

Tyler was cut off by his own stomach growling, earning a glare from Josh.

"Fine! I'll eat something if it makes you feel better."

He stood up from the couch and marched over to the kitchen to grab a bowl of cereal.


	3. Promise

20 years old, so close, and neither of them have had even a passing thought about changing their minds. In fact, they've never wanted it more, but things have been getting, uhm, difficult, per say.

Josh woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Tyler dry heaving in the bathroom. He jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom where he was hunched over the toilet, shaking and gagging. 

"Tyler what's going on, are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah yeah, Josh I'm okay, just a little nauseous."

"Do you need to go to the hospital?!"

The thought of that just made him want to throw up even more of the nothing in his stomach.

"NO! No, Josh I said I'm fine, there's no need to waste money on something like that."

Josh came over and rubbed a soothing hand on Tyler's back, he looked in the bowl and saw nothing but water.

"Tyler... Tyler, when's the last time you ate?"

"...Today."

"No you didn't, don't lie to me, when was the last time you ate?"

"Josh, that's got nothing to do with this-"

"Tyler, I swear to god, tell me right now or I will completely abandon this entire plan and-"

"Fine! I ate 3 days ago." 

Josh's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Come on, we're going to the kitchen to grab some food."

"I-"

"Don't. You're going to eat something if I have to shove it down your throat."

He stayed silent as Josh dragged him to the kitchen and made him a microwave dinner. Tyler had hated eating now, every time he took a bite it felt like he was just eating up all the money they could've used for their trip. None the less, he choked down what he could and ate half the dinner. Josh looked down at the plate and shook his head.

"You're not done, eat the rest."

Tyler sighed and looked back down at the food, shivering in disgust but made an attempt to finish it. When he finally ate the last bit of food on his plate, Josh hugged him.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, just promise you'll remember to put your health first from now on."

"Promise."

That night, Josh rubbed the bird around his neck and smiled, ready for sweet release. His best friend by his side.


	4. Twizzlers, Reese's, and Condoms

MUST HAVES:

~Twizzlers  
~Reese's  
~Redbull  
~Oreos  
~Earbuds  
~Phone chargers  
~Condoms-

"Wait what?"

"Just in case, I mean, you never know."

Josh looked mortified at Tyler's smug expression.

"No. No one's getting laid, it's just me and you on this trip."

Josh scribbled the word off the list and continued on. The didn't need to make this list just yet, they had about two months until the trip, but they were both impatient, so they did it anyway. Two months. Ohmygod they're really doing this.


End file.
